


Bird with a Broken Wing

by Fnuggi



Category: The Expanse (TV), The Expanse Series - James S. A. Corey
Genre: AU, M/M, Wing!AU, miller is sick and jim takes care of him, the one where Miller joins the crew of the Roci, unbetaed, wing preening
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-17
Updated: 2016-02-17
Packaged: 2018-05-21 06:43:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6041992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fnuggi/pseuds/Fnuggi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Miller is sick and lets his mind wander.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bird with a Broken Wing

**Author's Note:**

> This was just supposed to be a small drabble, but then it kind of took on a life of its own.
> 
> It can be read as a Jim/Miller shippy fic if you squint at it, even though that was not my intention, and the title is from the song 'Bird with a Broken Wing' by Owl City.

Miller was feeling absolutely miserable. It wasn’t often that he got sick, but when he did, it was terrible.

It was odd, but the pain Miller was feeling seemed to be centered on the place where his wings joined the rest of his body. So laying on his back was out of the question.

As he rolled over onto his other side, Miller let his mind wander. His parents had both passed away years ago and he had been pretty much on his own since then. It had suited him just fine.

And yet, despite the initial mistrust between himself and the crew of the Roci, Miller felt comfortable in their company. He wouldn’t go as far as to call the Roci home, at least not yet, but maybe he could in time.

His thoughts then turned to the crew.

Though Miller’s interactions with her had been limited so far, Naomi Nagate seemed to be the self-appointed leader of the crew. The first thing about her that had caught Miller’s attention, was her wings. They were a deep, copper orange with streaks of bright red and yellow. Like Fire, Miller thought.

Naomi herself was like fire too. Warm and nurturing if you kept your distance, but get too close to her, and you’d get burned.

Amos’ wings were just the opposite. Sleek black, with no other colors in them, they made him look even more intimidating than he already was. Yes, Amos was the kind of person who made the best friend and the worst enemy, Miller thought.

Next, his thoughts turned to Alex, the pilot of the Roci. His wings were the color of the smoke that seemed to be a constant presence on the docks of Ceres: shades of gray ranging from dark, almost black to a light gray that seemed almost white. It suited him.

And lastly, there was Jim. Out of all the crew members, Jim was the one that Miller had spend the most time with, not that he had any idea why. The younger man seemed to go out of his way to spend time with him. Miller wasn’t going to complain, but he did wonder why that was.

Miller was so lost in his thoughts, that he didn’t hear someone come into the room until the door closed behind them.

It was Jim.

“Naomi thought you might like something to eat” He said, setting down a trey of food on the bedside table.

It didn’t look particularly appealing to Miller.

“Not hungry” He protested weakly. He could feel sweat dripping down his forehead, and he knew that it was the fever’s doing.

“Naomi will kill me if you don’t eat at least some of it” Jim said.

“Well, we can’t have that” Miller retorted drily.

“I’d very much prefer to stay alive” Jim agreed with a lopsided grin.

With a groan, Miller sat up on the bed. His whole body seemed heavy, and as soon as he sat up, he wished he hadn’t. As he ate, he could feel the younger man’s eyes on him. When he was done, he set the tray aside and turned to Jim to say something.

But before he could get a word out, the younger man cut him off.

“How long has it been since anyone preened your wings?” He asked. Miller blinked.

If he had to be completely honest, he had no idea how long it had been, and the look on his face seemed to be all the answer that Jim needed.

“Turn around” The younger man said in a tone that left no room for arguments.

Miller did as he was told, and as he did, his thoughts turned to Jim’s wings. Like the rest of the crew, Jim’s wings seemed suit his personality in a way Miller had not seen before. White with specks of yellow, that almost looked golden in the right light, they were unlike any wings Miller had seen before.

“Your wings are a mess” Jim said, and Miller could almost hear the frown in his voice as he began to run his fingers through the feathers to untangle them.

Miller sighed. It felt so good.

He had no idea how long it had been, but finally, Jim’s hands left his wings. Miller rolled his shoulders. He still hadn’t been able to figure out why Jim had done it, but he appreciated it nonetheless.

“... Why?” He began unsure of what he should ask.

“Why did I do it?” Jim asked for him. “You’re a part of my crew. And I always take care of my crew” Jim said as a matter of factly.

Miller could feel a lump forming in his throat. It had been a long time since he’d had anyone who looked out for him simply because they wanted to, and he wasn’t sure how to react to it.

Luckily, he was saved from having to respond when Jim spoke again.

“Get some sleep”

That night, Miller slept soundly, his wings hurting a little less than they had when he woke up.


End file.
